Inside Gabbriette's Final Wedding Dress Fitting with Matières Fécales

Eight Months of Planning and a Mother Who Hasn't Seen the Dress

Gabbriette says she is very excited about getting married. The planning has taken about eight months, and she jokes that she and her partner "should have just eloped, but it's fine." What she looks forward to most is her mother seeing the dress. Her mother has seen videos and photographs but never the garment itself. Bailey says she has already seen it and calls it perfect, so she describes her role as "emotional support."

Gabbriette's goal for the day is simply to see the dress done. "I hope it's done. I think it is. I have faith," she says. She explains that she has always loved designers who work through tailoring and "tell stories through fabric," and names McQueen alongside Matières Fécales. She says the house's last show was "a full story," and that made her feel they were a perfect match.

Her mother lists three things that excite her most. The first is seeing her daughter "dressed as a princess." The second is watching her marry her best friend and "the love of her life." The third is the celebration itself, watching everyone celebrate "this amazing event and true love."

How the Designs Developed

After some trouble on the cobblestones in her highest heels, Gabbriette goes inside and reacts to the finished pieces and custom shoes. The designers then describe the process. The first conversation happened when she came to Paris. At that stage they talked about her inspirations and general taste in fashion, not specifically about a wedding dress, and the designers say her taste "really aligned" with theirs.

One of the designers says they drew about 30 looks. They then circled elements they liked from each, and the work became "a super organic process." The main wedding dress has a hand-pleated, very finely micro-pleated, sculpted bustier top. The skirt is described as "very Victorian," with bustles and multiple layers of tulle, all hand-distressed. The designers say the distressing was one of the longest parts of the work.

The White Dress: "I Feel Like a Princess"

When Gabbriette puts on the main dress, the group responds emotionally. She checks herself in the mirror, says the sleeves are perfect, and everyone agrees that "everything is perfect." The designers point out a practical detail: the front of the skirt is slightly raised so she won't trip. Once the veil is on, she says, "I feel like a princess," and a designer replies, "That was the goal."

Gabbriette says her ideal dress changed every year as she grew up. It began as a backless silk dress with sleeves covering her hands. The silhouette that stuck with her, though, is one she jokingly traces to "basically from Dracula." She wanted to be a princess and trusted the designers to get the silhouette exactly right. A designer later confirms this reference: she "really wanted something that was sort of like Bram Stoker['s] Dracula." The designer adds that the house is passionate about sculpting the body, which is where they felt aligned with her. They describe Gabbriette as "the inspiration at every level."

She adds that her fiancé, Matty, has no idea what she is wearing. A few people have seen the dress, and she says that when he looks at them, "they make a little face." She thinks that has sent his imagination "running wild." The designers say the finished result has exceeded what they expected.

The Black Dress: Reworked Vintage Margiela as "Something Old"

The second look started as a vintage Margiela dress from Gabbriette's personal archive. A designer recalls asking whether she was sure she wanted them to cut it and play with it. She was "super down" to have it reinterpreted. When someone brings up the "something old, something new, something blue" tradition, the group agrees this dress is her "something old."

During the fitting, the team discusses trimming some of the tulle at the front. Gabbriette says this is her favorite part, "when Steven gets hold of the scissors." She also addresses the choice of color directly: "Is bridal always white? Clearly not… Bridal is whatever you want it to be." She says she has always liked black clothing, and repurposing a dress she has loved for a long time felt right. She also suggests that one of her dresses, apparently for Friday, would have been black anyway, and that since she loves this one, it is the black one.

The Third Look: Party Mode with a Hat

The final look is the one Gabbriette plans to change into for the party. Someone jokes that it is "very slimming" and "everyone's favorite." She is taken with a hat from one of the designers, says she has never touched one of his hats before, and admits she doesn't know her hat size. Holding a glass of champagne, she announces, "Time to party." Someone comments that the look has "a little bit of Nicole Kidman, Kylie Minogue" in it.

The Proposal

Gabbriette also describes the proposal, which she calls very personal. Friends of theirs had recently gotten engaged, and she had told Matty she didn't want him to bring her on stage or sing to her. So he proposed privately at home. They had just bought a house, and he filled the empty living room with candles and made a little pathway before getting down on one knee. Then they had to blow out the candles quickly because she thought the house would catch fire. She says it was about 100 degrees inside, "but it was perfect."

Closing the Fitting

Gabbriette ends by thanking everyone for being at her final fitting. She notes that the party outfit is the third of her three looks, thanks Hannah and Steven and the rest of the team, and says she will see them at the wedding.